LOS ANGELES - The Cleveland Cavaliers marched into the crypto.com arena sporting a seven game winning streak. They marched out with that streak at eight. It was a tale of two halves for Cleveland in their matinee matchup 114-100 win against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers, led by Anthony Davis (19 points, 12 rebounds) and LeBron James (27 points, 7 rebounds) looked dominant for the first 24 minutes. Despite not shooting the ball efficiently, they were seemingly unstoppable in the post, with Davis netting 17 of his points in the first half. Perhaps most importantly for Los Angeles, however, was the spark Russell Westbrook provided off the bench. Westbrook has been a much improved player since being handed the reigns to the second unit, and tonight was no different. His 14 points, including two three-pointers, and five assists were a big lift for the Lakers.
Meanwhile, Cleveland stayed in the game for only three reasons: Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and the free throw line. Mitchell and Garland, who were both questionable to play in Sunday's game with ankle and knee injuries, respectively, put up 21 points each in the first half, seemingly pulling their team along until their teammates stepped up. The charity stripe was also huge for the Cavaliers, as they were able to get to the line at will, and hit 21 of their 23 first half freebies.
In the second half, the Cavs looked like a whole new team. Jarrett Allen found his rhythm, with 16 points and 11 rebounds after he and his frontcourt running mate Evan Mobley were both kept off the scoreboard in the first half. Veteran forward Kevin Love was a key cog for Cleveland as well. He had an off day from behind the three point arc, going two of eight compared to his season average of 43% from range, but still managed to quietly contribute a double-double off the bench after nearly reaching a triple-double on Friday in Detroit.
By the end of the third quarter, it was clear that the Cavaliers ability to hang tough in the first half was paying off, as they found themselves firmly in control. Their 14 point road victory was just one more gutsy win in a series of them to open the season.
Game Notes:
- Donovan Mitchell's game-high 33 point performance was his sixth outing of 30 points or more this season.
- Jarrett Allen and Anthony Davis both got into foul trouble, each picking up their fourth personal in the third quarter
- Isaac Okoro saw the floor for only five minutes. JB Bickerstaff continues to favor the scoring prowess of Caris LeVert and the all-around ability of Dean Wade over the defense of Okoro
- The Cavaliers shot 32/36 from the free throw line for the game
Game MVP: Donovan Mitchell
As has been the norm this season, Mitchell was the Cavs most reliable scorer all night, with 33 points on an economical 59% from the field. His early buckets kept Cleveland in the game until Allen and LeVert, among others, were able to get going.
Next Game: @ Clippers
The Cavaliers will continue their west coast trip on Monday night, staying in Los Angeles for a battle with the 5-4 Clippers at 10:30 pm ET.
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